Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence spectroscopy has been proven to be superior in bioanalytical and biomedical applications because of the low background interference. DNA sequencing and immunochemistry are the two major areas where the utility of NIR fluorescence labels has been amply demonstrated. Unfortunately very few NIR labels are available commercially and the labels are made for specific use and mostly are available in kits for special applications. There is a need to develop a low cost family of NIR labels for a wide variety of biomedical and bioanalytical applications. This proposal builds upon the experience of the investigators at KPS Technologies and Georgia State University to develop a variety of NIR labels having a wide array of physical and chemical properties. Phase I evaluation will focus on the feasibility of upscalable chemistry for NIR labels. Specific aims include the evaluation of water soluble carbocyanine and naphthalocyanine dyes with net charges ranging from A to +2 with a single bioreactive moiety, specifically succimidyloxycarbonyl, isothiocyanato, and iodoacetamido groups. Phase I work will also focus on the bioanalytical evaluation of these labels including molar absorptivity, fluorescence quantum yield, and detection limits using these labels in biomedical applications, coupling them to biomolecules. Phase II will focus on developing large scale synthetic routes and formulation of chemistry for biomedical applications. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Currently fluorescence labels is a significant industry in the billion dollars range. A very small portion of this industry is focussed on the most biomedically advantageous spectral region, the NIR fluorescence labels. If a wide variety of NIR fluorescence labels were available, then the clinical and commercial utility would be significant.